Lauren MacDowell, an industrial
hygiene graduate student from Satellite Beach, Florida, and Brice Dang
Nsongue, a safety
management graduate student from Douala, Cameroon, were recipients of the
2017 Graduate Safety Practitioner Scholarship. The scholarship is given to
students interested in becoming Certified Safety Professionals, an accredited
certification offered by the BCSP, and comes with an award of $5,000 and a free
application to take the GSP exam upon graduation.

The GSP designation is awarded to qualified individuals to
mark their completion of an accredited academic program as well as establish
their intention to obtain CSP certification, one of the highest credentials
professionals in the safety field can achieve.

“These two students have been recognized by BCSP as
exemplifying what they believe is someone that will fast-track to CSP
certification,” said Ken
Currie, professor and chair of the IMSE department. “This is significant
because it raises our prominence among other safety management and industrial
hygiene programs in the country and is also a reflection of the hard work that
our faculty and advisory committees exert to maintain ABET accreditation, which
is a prerequisite for GSP recognition.”

Obtaining CSP status is a strenuous process that requires
individuals to complete several examinations and have a minimum of four years
of job experience that is at least 50 percent safety related.

For Dang Nsongue, receiving a scholarship from the BCSP has
renewed his motivation to become a CSP.

“Receiving this scholarship was a reminder that my hard work
is not going unnoticed and that I have an extensive academic and professional
support system,” said Dang Nsongue. “My goal is to develop further
professionally into occupational and environmental health and safety within the
energy industry. The scholarship money will help me afford the best preparation
for my professional certification exams and has fueled the drive I have to
achieve my goals.”

For MacDowell, the financial peace of mind gained from the
scholarship will help her achieve success at WVU.

“Completing my degree is the first step to reaching my goal
of one day working as a residential hygienist in a hospital or manufacturing
plant,” explained MacDowell. “Receiving this scholarship will allow me to focus
on my studies without worrying about finances.”

Both students will be recognized for their achievements in
the 2017 BCSP Annual Report, which is set to be released this spring.

-WVU-

bmf/01/31/2018

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